OWENSBORO, Ky. (10/8/13) - Guest speaker at Monday’s "We Are Downtown" meeting, Chamber of Commerce President Amy Jackson, explained that the woeful downtown construction is for the betterment of the city and to keep downtown the “heart and pulse” of Owensboro.

Last month, Owensboro’s downtown was featured in an issue of the business magazine, "The Lane Report." Jackson said that the magazine is looking to do a follow-up about the how the street closings are affecting residents and the downtown area.

Berry said crews are finishing up the intersection at St. Ann and 2nd St. within the next week, and the city will continue with the street projects as quickly as possible. Each intersection expects 4-6 weeks of work, but that is weather dependent.

In other construction news, Berry said the Owensboro Convention Center is scheduled to finish construction by Jan. 27, 2014 and should be open to the public Feb. 1, 2014. The Hampton Inn is scheduled to open in late December.